Data storage media may include one or more surface asperities (e.g., protrusions and/or recesses), where protruding asperities have a potential to contact a transducer head flying in close proximity above the storage media while reading data from and writing data to the storage media. Contact with protruding surface asperities causes wear on the transducer head and reduces its useable life.
Efficient and effective systems and methods for detecting and characterizing surface asperities as protruding or recessed from the storage media surface are useful to reduce head-media contact events and prolong storage media and transducer head life.